Word OriginOld Englishcīcen, cȳcen, of Germanic origin; related to Dutchkieken and GermanKüchlein, and probably also to cock.Extra examplesA few chickens were scratching around the yard.Are we just going to sit here like trussed up chickens?Battery chickens have miserable lives.Free-range chickens have happy lives.a crate of live chickenssucculent pieces of chickenHe called me a chicken because I wouldn’t swim in the river.Idioms

to play a game in which people do something dangerous for as long as they can to show how brave they are. The person who stops first has lost the game.The children had been playing chicken by running across the railway line.See related entries:Children's games